Grow Your Own Magazine

Hiya

Whilst in sunny Eastbourne last Saturday, I was walking along the seafront about to cross the road, had pressed the crossing button as the road was very busy. Just as the bleeps and green man came on, I caught a whiff of the flowers that were in the huge beds by the road, but had to scoot quick or I would have been run over so couldn't get a photo or a good look.

I can only describe the smell as parma violet sweets (not the giant ones, they are just bitter and wrong and should be illegal, but the little purple rounds of goodness that are quite hard to get hold of round here nowadays).

If anyone knows what flowers they are, I would be grateful for any information.

Thank you muchly

MrsB x

Violets?

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Well now, that did cross my mind but I am not really a flower gardener, til this year of course!

I asked because if I go to the garden centre, looking for Violets, I will find them last, after finding 20 packets of seeds that I don't really need, some tools, more compost, a few other bits and bobs, some trays, something new and innovative that I haven't seen before and don't know how to use.

MrB hates taking me to the garden centre, normally he tells me before we get into the shop "know your enemy, you do not need any more seeds"

Also, I thought if they were Violets, maybe it is only a particular type that has this scent and someone a little more knowing may be able to help.

MrsB x

What did the flowers look like?

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vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated July 6th 2008

If they were in huge beds, they would hardly have been violets. Were they shrubs, or were they bedding plants. The most strongly scented flowers in council beds this time of the year are wallflowers and they have a very sweet scent. I love them, stops me smelling the catpoo in my front garden cos the flowers smell stronger.

I work near an Anglian Water treatment works and today it smelt as if the sewers had backed up. Trouble was that while it was breezy and not a probelm outside, the smell built up inside the building, quite wretched.

Poor facilities guys had to check if there was a problem with the drains.

Not quite Violets!

Hiya

I was in such a rush, I know I looked at the flowers, but with a memory like a sieve, I can't remember, I am lucky to remember what I was doing 5 minutes ago

I have had a little shufty through google images and have found the following link to a pic which I think is indicative of what I saw and smelt, I was crossing the road right by the pier!

The flowers were definitely a bulk thing, huge beds right along the seafront, council owned.

http://www.eastbourne.org/tourism/pa...t_gardens2.jpg

MrsB x

Just a thought, why not ask Eastbourne Parks and Gardens Department what they are? If any one knows they should!!!! Ginny

Those looked (from the leaf) to be geraniums (zonal pelargoniums to be precise) so it wouldn't have been them. Also looked as if there were petunias there. None of those is a likely candidate for a drop dead gorgeous scent. Bit early for them to be in such vigorous flower too. We're not being much help are we?

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Some days you're the statue, some days you're the pigeon!

vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated July 6th 2008

Anyone on the Vine in Eastbourne?????

...can you just nip over and have a look for us

I'm dying to know what the scent is!!!

( actually there is a perfume which smells like that but I've never been able to find it- I wonder if it was a person's perfume you caught the scent of ???)

..just a thought!

I got my mum some Violet purfume for Christmas!....don't think she was in Eastbourne though!

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April Violets - my Ma in Law loves it. Yardley.

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vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated July 6th 2008

Hi there. just a thought but skimmia japonica which is in flower at the moment has one of the most beautiful perfumes you could imagine. The flowers are tight tiny buds in sprays and open into small but beautiful sprays. Hope this helps. Of course you have to have a male and female for the flowers.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

After having searched google and ebay, I too thought that maybe someone had walked past who had used one of these fizzy bath bombs, perfume, roll on scent or had a parma violet peace candle burning nearby to promote a healthy Eastbourne karma!!!

I am going to visit the garden centre and smell everything (I bet they haven't got the one I am looking, or smelling for though, all been sold to Eastbourne Smelly Seafront Brigade ), will let you know how I get on.

MrsB x

Why not just go back to where you smelt the perfume, preferably with a digital camera, and either ask someone what the flowers are, or post a piccie on the Vine. Of course you may get back there and find that it doesn't smell like that any more, in which case it could have been a passing person's perfume.

I was only in Eastbourne for a day trip, and when I was rushing to cross the road, my parking time was running out, so rather than stop to enjoy the flowers/scent, I got back to my car before Rita did!

MrsB x

Had a look at the pic. not too clear, petunias? there are good scented ones these days.

But they wouldn't be in full flower like that in May? The pic I think, isn't of the actual flowers, but of some that MrsB thought looked like her no. 1 suspects.

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Some days you're the statue, some days you're the pigeon!

vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated July 6th 2008

I wouldn't have thought that flower beds would be so far on at this time of year, even in Eastbourne, unless Mrs B is "having us on"